St. John Fisher dedicates new home for School of Business

St. John Fisher College on Monday dedicated the new home of its School of Business, a 20,000-square-foot building funded with the largest gift from an alumnus in college history.

The college formally opened the Victor E. Salerno Center for American Enterprise, which includes classroom space, faculty offices, a computer lab and other student amenities. The center was built thanks to a $2 million gift from Salerno in 2011, the largest gift from an alumnus in St. John Fisher history.

“The Salerno Center for American Enterprise has already become a hub of activity on campus, and has been fully embraced by our business faculty and students as a modern, cutting-edge building that will absolutely lead our students into the future of the business world,” said Donald Bain, St. John Fisher president.

“This generous gift comes at a time when we’re implementing the college’s strategic plan, and it supports our goal of creating a dedicated environment for business students, faculty, and community leaders to learn, collaborate and engage with one another.”

Salerno graduated from St. John Fisher in 1966 with a BBA in accounting and went on to become CEO of O'Connell Electric Co. Inc.

“My family and I are very proud of this facility and extremely pleased to play a part in the success that St. John Fisher College students will achieve well into the future,” Salerno said. “It is our hope that the education originating inside these walls will have a great impact on our community and will pay dividends for our region for decades to come.”

Correction:An earlier version of this story contained an error. Victor Salerno's donation is the largest gift from an alumnus in St. John Fisher history, not the largest gift to the college.